Free holiday light displays

Explore where you live.

▪ Way of Lights. The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, 442 S. Demazenod Drive, Belleville, snows.org/wol, 618-397-6700. Features a free drive-through light display. The outdoor light display remains open through Jan. 1, but other activities are closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Free; donations accepted.

▪ Lebanon’s Winter Wonderland. Horner Park, 11109 Widicus Road, Lebanon, lebanonswinterwonderland.org. Features a drive-through light display set to music broadcast on 90.5 FM. The display is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 31.

▪ Brewery Lights. Anheuser Busch-Brewery, 1200 Lynch St, St. Louis, brewerylights.com, 314-577-2626. Open Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m daily through Dec. 30. Walking tours are not available on Christmas Eve, Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

Tail lights streak through one of the first displays at the The Way of Lights. The display opens Friday and continues nightly from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through Jan. 1. The 1.5-mile drive through scriptural Journey to Bethlehem features over one million lights, electro-art displays, and life-size biblical statues.
Derik Holtmann
dholtmann@bnd.com

Indoor tours, museums and more

▪ Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company Tour. 5025 Pattison Ave., St. Louis, chocolatechocolate.com, 314-338-3501. Free tours are offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every half hour Monday through Friday. Tours are also available 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Pro tip: Call ahead for reservations. The best part of this tour? Free samples!

▪ Excel Bottling Plant Tour, 488 S. Broadway, Breese, excelbottling.com, 618-526-7159. The soda plant offers free tours to the public. Call ahead if you plan to go. The soda factory offers tours by appointment on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. The plant is open every day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except for Wednesdays and Sundays.

▪ Old Courthouse. 11 N. 4th St., St. Louis, nps.gov/Jeff, 314-655-1600. The courthouse is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily during the winter season. Check out a holiday performance from noon to 1 p.m. Dec 12: Mehlville High School Choir Select Ensemble.

▪ Missouri History Museum. 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, mohistory.org, 314-746-4599. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and open late every Tuesday night until 8 p.m.

▪ Magic House. 516 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, magichouse.org, 314-822-8900. This attraction is free from 5:30-9 p.m. every third Friday of the month.

▪ Gateway Arch National Park Museum. gatewayarch.com or call 877-982-1410. Check out the new interactive museum this winter from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

▪ Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr, St. Louis, slam.org, 314-721-0072. Check out the museum’s winter celebration Dec. 8 and 9. The museum is closed on Mondays. The museum is open from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 10 a.m. to 9 p. m. Friday.

▪ St. Louis Science Center. 5050 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, slsc.org, (314)-289-4400. The science center is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

▪ Visit your local library on a cold day. Libraries across the region offer fun activities for children and adults throughout the winter season. Check out a book, then cozy up next to your fire at home after a day of reading, games and holiday fun.

Monk’s Mound is the largest mound at the Cahokia Native American site and is the largest man-made earthen mound in the North American continent. The mound stands about a 100 feet tall and has a base measure of 955 feet at its widest.
Julian Lim
For the News-Democrat

The only month-long holiday market in the St. Louis region, the Christkindlmarkt, will open at 10 a.m. Friday and will operate daily until Dec. 23. The German market is expected to draw a record crowd to downtown Belleville.

By

Belleville’s Christkindlmarkt

This winter market features plenty of free holiday fun and it’s the largest of its kind in the St. Louis region. The authentic German-style, open-air Christmas market features international vendors, local artists, German food and drinks. It runs daily through Dec. 23.

▪ Free carriage/trolley rides. Take a vintage ride down Main Street on a horse-drawn carriage from 5 p.m. on 9 p.m. on Fridays, noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. through Dec. 23.

▪ Free holiday movies. Starting at dusk grab a blanket and check out a free holiday movie outside of Santa’s house in Downtown Belleville through Dec. 23.

▪ Belleville Historic Luminary Walk — 5-9 p.m. Dec. 8, During this holiday event, the streets of downtown Belleville are lined with candle-filled luminaries. Enjoy a festive walk around Abend and Garfield streets while you tour the Koerner House, Garfield Street Saloon and Emma Kunz House museums. For more information, call 618-234-0600.

▪ Carols by Candlelight. —7 p.m. Dec. 8, Union United Methodist Church, 721 E. Main St., Belleville. Join the SWIC choirs and their conductor, Andy Jensen for an evening of historic and modern carols performed in a candlelit setting. For more information, call 618- 233-6375.

▪ Central West End Window Walk. — 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Central West End Dec. 8, 15 and 22. Central West End’s annual Window Walk, a month-long celebration highlighting holiday happenings in the Central West End. Visitors are invited to stroll through the district and admire the elegantly decorated windows of the area’s shops and restaurants. For more information visit cwescene.com.

A crowd walks Garfield Street in Historic Belleville. The Old Belleville Historical Luminary Walk welcomed the public to Abend and Garfield Streets in historic Belleville in December 2015. Visitors enjoyed house tours, refreshments and entertainment at the Garfield Saloon, strolling carolers, and over 1000 luminaries.
Derik Holtmann
dholtmann@bnd.com

Worth the Drive

▪ Annual Snowflake Festival — 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 7. Robert E. Glazebrook Community Park, 1401 Stamper Lane, Godfrey. Visit the park, lit up with twinkling lights to celebrate the holiday season. Includes carolers, hot cocoa and pictures with Santa. Free and open to the public. 618-466-1483.

▪ 18th Century Regency Dance Program presented by Dance Discovery — 1:30 p.m. Dec. 8. Monroe County History Museum, 724 Elaine Drive, Waterloo. Program includes demonstrations of several historic dances of the Regency period by dancers in period dress. 618-939-5008 or monroecountyhistorymuseum.org.

▪ A Carlinville Christmas —Dec. 7 -8, Carlinville Downtown Square, christmasincarlinville.com, 217-854-2141. Holiday fun for the whole family can be found on the historic Carlinville Downtown Square. Families will enjoy the festivities, including: arts and crafts for kids, ice sculptures, free sleigh rides, free fire engine rides, street performers, carolers, a free movie on Saturday night, a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and thousands of lights lining the buildings and rooftops.

Save the date

▪ Ringing of the Bells —Noon Jan. 1, Downtown Belleville’s Public Square. This Belleville tradition began in 1914 and was revived in 2014. Everyone is invited to the Belleville Public Square to ring in the new year. Bring your dinner bells, cow bells and jingle bells.

▪ Ice Carnival —Jan. 19-20, Delmar Loop, visittheloop.com. This carnival features cool things to do for the entire family. Check out the ice carvings, games and activities at the carnival.

People gathered on the northeast quadrant of Public Square at noon on New Year’s Day to ring in 2015 using a variety of bells of all sizes and sounds. Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert (center) lead the bell-ringers for two minutes of ringing.
BND file photo

▪ Olive Street Cafe, 12710 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, 314-485-8710. Open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for breakfast, brunch and lunch, this restaurant is a 15-minute drive from the Magic House. Kids eat free every day.

▪ Farmer’s Market, 500 N. Illinois St, Belleville, 618-235-2445. Play the “spin the banana” game to win a free piece of fruit. A purchase from the market is required to play the game.

▪ Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, 6569 N. Illinois St., Fairview Heights, 618-230-7000. Kids can pick up a free item at the fruit stand for children in the market. The market also has carts for little shoppers as well.

▪ Firehouse Subs, 5909 N. Illinois St., Fairview Heights, 618-234-3400. Kids eat free all day with the purchase of a sub. Dine-in only. This deal is only available on Tuesday nights.

▪ Ikea St. Louis, 1 Ikea Way, St. Louis, 888-888-4532. Get up to two kid’s meals for children younger than 12 with purchase of one adult entree. This deal is only available on Tuesday nights.

▪ Denny’s, all area locations. Children eat free from 4 to 10 p.m. Call ahead to make sure the Denny’s location in your neighborhood offers this deal. This deal is only available on Tuesday nights.

▪ Applebee’s, participating locations. Children eat free after 3 p.m. Call ahead before you go to make sure your neighborhood bar and grill offers this deal. This deal is only available on Tuesday nights.

▪ Chili’s, 6311 N. Illinois St, Fairview Heights, 618-398-9805. From open to close, kids eat free with purchase of adult entree. This deal is only available on Tuesday nights.

Cara Anthony covers restaurants and retail for the Belleville News-Democrat, where she works to answer readers’ questions about restaurant openings, business closures and the best new dishes in the metro-east. She attended Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville and grew up in East St. Louis.

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